Two Thoughts

My initial reaction when I saw this was - adorable! I then had two thoughts. First, Owen is my son. Obviously. Second, food is a peculiar choice for a kid who turns up his nose at childhood staples of pasta, pizza and grilled cheese. Last night he requested "black (chocolate) munchkins" for dinner. Okay, technically donut holes are food...I guess.

A Walk in the Woods

Losing My Marbles

This is Owen proudly showing off his full jar of marbles. Parenting can be a pretty tough gig. Especially when your kid is going through a lengthy - I won't do anything you ask me to do - phase. 

After the appearance of significantly more grays (on my head and Steve's beard) and much trial and error, we finally found something that seems to motivate "he who will not go potty." Owen gets marbles for good behavior - listening, sharing, not having tantrums, staying in bed, etc. Once the jar is full, he gets a reward. 

Owen's marble jar recently reached max capacity after being especially kind to Mitchell, and this weekend we're going to see the new Peanuts movie. I just hope he likes Charlie Brown and the gang as much as I did when I was a peanut. Get it?  

And what did Owen do that was so kind, you ask? At this point, I honestly can't remember but I do know that he made sure to get extra candy for his baby brother while we were trick-or-treating. Little Mitchell was content in his stroller while Owen, the nice ghost, roamed the neighborhood scavenging for goodies. It was seriously the best night of his entire life.

The Boo Brothers - Halloween 2015

The Great Hope

Here is Mitchell painting, with his left hand no less. Daddy is very happy. No pressure, Mitch.

Getting Ready for BOO!

I asked Owen what he wanted to be for Halloween and he said, "a nice ghost." Then I asked him what Mitchell wanted to be and he said, "a nice ghost." Cute and easy - Done! Last night, thanks to Pinterest, we executed plans for our modern day Casper(s).

You'll notice the precision in both measurement and tailoring...

As well as the top notch makeup application.

Hmm, that's a bit spooky for a nice ghost. Good thing we have a bit of time to perfect the final look before we say Boo. Or shall I say Booyah...bring it Mets!

The Master and His Subject

I Know My First Name Is Mommy

Mitchell says lots of things like, "Thank you. Truck. Bubbie. Hockey. Eat. Book. Boat." He also understands lots of things like, "Get your shoes. Go to your chair. Let's go upstairs. Time to brush your teeth." He can make lots of sounds. He knows the sound a dog, cat, duck, cow, plane and fire truck make. He calls Steve, "Daddy." He calls Owen, "Owie" or "O-wish." And he calls me, "Owie Daddy." It's funny and a little sad all at the same time. I guess the whole, you know, giver of life thing isn't terribly relevant when you're just 18 months old.

What isn't sad is that our "fantasy deck" is now reality! After no less than one million sketches and designs, here is our tree house. Just in time for winter :)

My Little Pony

A day at the farm. Among goats, alpaca and various other friendly barnyard animals, this cute little pony was our favorite. These pictures of the boys with the pony pretty much sum up their personalities. 

 

Steve is now best friends with the pony.

 

Owen observed and thought about the pony.

And Mitchell, the littlest Linker, blew the pony (and the goats and cats) kisses.

Silly, Sweet, Wet & Wild!

A silly and sweet and "serious" Owen happily mugging for a photo shoot with Daddy.

And this is the moment we've been waiting for all summer. Drum roll please...

After being terrified of water, Mitchell is finally having fun playing with his best pal in the pool! As it turns out, little Mitchell is a wild man. He is a climber, an almost runner, and a lover of stairs. Great...

My Favorite Boys

A friend sent this to me yesterday and I laughed because this pretty much sums up how I feel a lot of the time. Fortunately, in between bouts of frustration, hair pulling (is that an emotion?) and exhaustion is the really, really good stuff.

Pure joy; 

Brotherly "love;"

Innocence;

Extreme cuteness;

And spending time with favorite boys...who (depending on the hour) may drive me to drink :)

Summer Fun

It is hot and steamy here in Rhode Island and when a trip to the beach seems like too much effort, a backyard pool party with friends is just as fun...

In case you were wondering, Mitchell is enjoying life as a walker. It's amazing and also terrifying that can almost keep up with the big kids. In fact, Mitchell eats his big brother under the table. The kid is an eater. Check out this bruiser!

He Walks and This and That

Exciting news. Mitchell is walking. Here he is, strutting his stuff, like Frankenstein. Mitchell officially became a walker while we were vacationing on Nantucket. Thanks to Grandma, we were able to hob nob with the gazillionaires who holiday on this idyllic island.

We learned, watched and talked a lot about the different ways to get to Nantucket. We took the traditional, or as Owen says the "conditional", ferry as opposed to the car ferry, fast ferry or an airplane. The journey to and from the island was definitely the highlight of the trip for Owen. For the adults it was driving a Jeep on the beach and watching seals swim along the coast line.

We stayed in this beautiful house and dreamed about owning our own multi-million dollar vacation home. We went on long walks, rode our bikes, and spent lots of time at the beach. Minus having a full-time nanny in tow (essential for any Nantucket trip), it was the perfect family vacation!

Our favorite past time was taking family photos where one or more child was not looking at the camera and/or making a funny face. Well at least the adults are looking good.

Exhibit A 

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

But the fun doesn't stop there. The entire month of June was a flurry of activity. We traveled to Florida, went on an air boat ride through the Everglades, saw an alligator, and the boys attended their first Bat Mitzvah!  

We even had a visit from cousin Holly and Owen was very happy. 

You Are My Sunshine

Yesterday was a big day. Owen graduated from the Peanut Room and is now a Sunshine - officially a preschooler. The ceremony had all the pomp and circumstance you would expect at an event for three year old's - songs, dinosaur hats made of construction paper and other art masterpieces. There was even an after party with snacks, balloon animals, face painting and a bouncy house - aka, three year old heaven. Here are some more pictures.

Proud Papa and the Graduate 

Sweet Peas Village Class of 2015

Owen and his teacher, Miss Brandi

The Rhode Island Linkers

Congratulations Owen! Hey, now that you're in preschool, I think it's time to start eating vegetables and going to bed without a fuss. Okay? I won't hold my breath.